Workout for our mental health!
“Sometimes, self-care is exercise and eating right. Sometimes it’s spending time with loved ones or taking a nap. And sometimes, it’s watching an entire season of TV in one weekend while you lounge around in your pajamas. Whatever soothes your soul.” -Nanea Hoffman
Exercise is always allied with improving the physical strength, from trimming our waistline to lowering the blood pressure. Still, how many of you map your fitness goals with enhancing your mental health?
Many studies have shown that exercise can cure mild to moderate depression as effectively as any anti-depressant pills that, too, without any side effects.
There is no hard fast science behind this connotation of exercise and mental health. Training is a powerful depression fighter for many reasons. People who exercise daily tend to feel more energetic throughout the day. Exercise releases stress, sharpens memory, helps them sleep better, increases self-esteem, and makes people feel more tranquil and cheerful. And you don’t have to be a super exercise fanatic, slog out at the gym, or do monotonous workouts to reap out the benefits. Even a moderate amount of exercise is worthy enough to make the difference.
Working out can be a great way to improve mental health problems, but finding out the perfect exercise and environment can be a key to reaping the psychological rewards of getting sweaty. Looking to boost your mood, handle your emotions better, or build resilience? Here are the few ideas of activities that are known as reducers for mental health problems:
WALKING: Walking is most probably one of the simplest forms of all exercises. A recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. Walking through nature makes you feel connected to nature, away from the hustle of the world. Morning walk gives you a chance to forget about yesterday’s trials and tribulations.
“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” — Paul Dudley White.
YOGA: It is not all about twists and turns but an umbrella term for all physical and mental exercises that integrate body and mind. Yoga is a gateway to understanding what you need physically, mentally, or emotionally. It helps you connect with your inner soul.
“Yoga is not only a process of the integration of the soul, mind, and body for self-improvement; it is a process of self -realization and self -acceptance.”-Debasish Mridha.
Yoga poses like Anjaneyasana(the high lunge), Garudasana( the eagle pose), Natarajasana( the dancer’s pose), Virabhadrasana ( the warrior pose), and many more are effective in improving your patience and sense of inner balance.
CYCLING: During times of stress, we are prone to holding our breath, and if your day was stressful, there’s a pretty good chance that your breath is shallow and stiff. So at that time, cycling comes out as the best solution to perpetuate the situation. Cycling increases the production of brain cells and allows the different parts of the brain to communicate effectively. Scientists suggest that 30–60 minutes of steady riding at a good pace (no sprinting!) is the right balance. Cycling is an easy and fun activity to add to your mental health first aid kit.
DANCING: Dancing reinforces physical and mental health by helping to prevent falls, improve posture and flexibility, lift mood, and ease anxiety. It’s also a vigorous activity that sharpens the mind, increases aerobic power and strength, builds social bonds, and can reduce pain and stiffness. You need not be professional in dancing to extract the benefits. Even a formal dance class, exercise class, or even alone in your room could be enough to make a difference. A small group of senior adults, ages 65–91, was recently studied in North Dakota. After taking 12 weeks of Zumba (a dance fitness class), the seniors reported improved moods and cognitive skills, not to mention increased strength and agility.
PILATES: It is an exercise that consists of low-impact flexibility and muscular strength that emphasizes core strength and posture alignment. But its mental health benefits are often overlooked. Joseph Pilate (Pilate’s founder) called his exercise system as ‘Contrology,’ i.e., the body’s connection with the mind. It is brilliant for stress reduction and focuses mainly on the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for sleep and relaxation.
SWIMMING: As a form of physical exercise, swimming is hard to beat — however, it is the most fun way to relieve stress and lower anxiety and depression. Being in contact with water, by itself, helps to loosen the body and mind. A scientific study carried out by the Griffith Institute for Educational Research found that the body immersed in water has boosted blood flow to the brain, increasing its oxygen and nutrients, hence forming a positive impact.
Aside from the health benefits, these activities also allow us to become more connected and social. Making new friendships or reconnecting in an old relationship can be an alluring side-effect of these activities. These social interactions can go a long way in improving mood and mental health.
Amidst the corona pandemic, there has been an increase in mental health problems, causing stress, anxiety, and depression. So a proper schedule of these exercises has become a must. But activities like walking and cycling are supposed to be done under the open sky, among the people. It’s recommended to do these activities with a mask on your face, keeping 6 feet distance from the people following government rules.
“Focusing on what you want to feel rather than struggling with what you are fighting against shifts your energy towards something positive.”- Glenn Close.
But believe, these exercises are notable enough only when you are honest with them. There is a vast difference between just reading and implementing them in real life. Sitting in a corner, worrying about your mental health problems, is not the answer.
Go out, make friends, and cheer yourself up for a little amount of exercise!
